Thomas t



nurrnn sTArns PATENT] camion.

THOMAS T. VOODVARD, OF SOUTH READING, MSSAUHUSET'IIS, ANSIGNOR '.lOHMSELF,

l NYHEEIAVRIGHT, OF BOSIOX, MASSACHUSET'LS.

To all whom it may coacernf' Be it known that I, THOMAS T. VooD- WARD,of South Reading, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Revolving SignalApparatus, and that the following description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings hereinafter referred to, forms a full andexact specification of the same, wherein I have set forth the nature andprinciples of my said improvements by which my invention may bedistinguished from all others of asimilar class, together with suchparts as I claim and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent.

The figures of Ahe accompanying plate of drawings represent myimprovements.

Figure l is a central vertical section of my improved revolving signalapparatus. Fig. 2 is a side view with the outer casing removed. Fig. 3is a' transverse horizontal section taken in the plane of the line A BFig. l. Fig. l is a plan or top view of the top plate of the insidecylinder.

I have heretofore made an improvement in signal apparatus for vesselsfor which I have made application for separate Letters Patent whichconsisted of a lantern having a series of fixed lights with which wascomf bined an arrangement of devices consisting of a tube or barrelcontaining blue or other pyroteclinic lights, which were ignited at anydesired moment by the movement of a spring hammer actuated by pulling acord or otherwise.

The present invention consists in. anew arrangement of devices whereby aseries of pyrotechnic lights can be successively ignited instead of onlyone as was-the case in my former apparatus in which one pyrotechniclight became extinct before another one could be inserted and ignited.

By my present portable apparatus a continuous intense light can beproduced if desired or a series of 'rockets or other signals can besuccessively exploded without cessation, no time being lost invrecharging the apparatus.. To produce these results I use a circularinany-chainbered apparatus in which blue lights, rockets or otherpyrotechnic lights are placed at proper intervals apart and separated bypartitions to prevent more than one light from being ignited SIGNALAPPARATUS.

Speciicationfof Letters Patent blo-28,336, (lated May 15, 1860.

' at a time by sparks &c. and made to receive an intermittent rotarymotion and ignite each light in succession by means of a spring-hammerstriking a percussionv cap. lthe whole being actuated by simply pullinga cord. By this means one light can be ignited before the preceding onehas burned out o r the whole series can be almost instantaneously. setin operation.

a a a in the drawings represent a water- .tight casing, in which theapparatus is inclosed having a suitablecover b b.

c cv is a hollow cylinder'containing any number of sockets Z Z &c. inwhich are placed a series of blue or other pyrotechnic lights or chargese, e, Sac., the top of the-se terminating in a cylindrical chamber f f,divided into compartments g, g &c. by partitions 7L fr, &c. in closecontact with nippletubes z', e' &c. upon which the percussion caps areto be placed.

it h is a spring-hammer actuated by pulling arod i', z" theforked end 7cof which engages with a projecting lip of the hammer. The rod z" i isretracted so as to be ready for another operation by a spiral spring Z.vThus it will be seen that the charge will be ignited by simply pullingthe rod i z" which operation also causes the cover b b of the casing@ ato fly open, by the motion of the hammer It h which as it is drawn backdisengages the upper end of a lever m from the cover b which is'thenthrown open by a spring n.

The interior apparatus (turning upon a vertical shaft j) is made toreceive an intermittent rotary motion in such a manner as vto bring eachnipple-tube in succession in position to be acted upon by the hammerwhereby the charges can be ignited one after the other as rapidly as maybe desired by the action of a stud 0 on the rod z" ef, which plays inthe continuous cam-shaped grooves p, pte. formed in or on the cylinderc, c. The grooves are so formed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, that bypulling the rod z", z" the stud 0 will travel down the grooves until itpasses beyond the points g, g &c. so that when the rod is released andretracted the stud 0 will travel up the next groove until it passes asimilar point r, when it is ready and in position to travel downwardagain on of the grooves p p.

Having thus described my improvements I shall state my claims as followsWhat I claim as my invention anddesire to have secured to me by LettersPatent is l. A portable revolving signal apparatus containin a series ofpyrotechnie charges such as b ue lights or rockets &c. and operated soas to receive an intermittent rotary motion and to successfully ignitethe several l entering of the stud lo into the shoulders s charges byany suitable arrangement of mechamcal devices.

2. The arrangement of devices for rotating the apparatus and ignitingthevcharges at the same time, the same consistin of the spring-hammerand cam-grooved cy inder o both actuated as described b the rod.

THOMAS T. OODWARD.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH GARRETT, ALBERT W. BROWN.

